/^-  3 


I  ALUMNI  LIBRARY,  | 

I    THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,    | 

*  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  "^^ 


sec 


/■ 


nS' 


UTERARTr    Sc    PHII.OSOFHIOAL    SOCIETY 


JVas   organized  on  the  Wth  day  of  Juhj^  1825. — The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  Officers  of  the  Society. 


PREsiDEjrr, 
The  Hon.  ANDREW  KIRKPATRICK,  Esquire. 

VICE-PRESIDEJ^TS, 
His  Honour  CHARLES  EWING,  Esquire, 
His  Excellengt  ISAAC  WILLIAMSON,   Esquire, 
The  Hon.  MAHLON  DICKERSON,  Esquire, 
Rev.  JAMES  CARNAHAN,    D.  D. 
AUGUSTUS  R.  TAYLOR,    M.  D. 

CORRESPOJS'DIJ^G  SECRETARY, 
Rev.    SAMUEL   MILLER,    D.   D 

RECORDJJ^G    SECRETARY, 
Rev.  LU  ij  HER  HALSEY,  A.  M. 

\(  Measurer, 

JOHN   VANCLEVE,  M.  D, 

executive  cojijiittee, 

Rev.  ARCHIBALD    ALEXANDER,  D.  D. 
LUCIUS  Q.  C.  ELMER,    Esquire, 
JAMES  S.  GREEN,  Esquire, 
JOHN  GUMMERE,  A.  M. 
JOHN  MACLEAN.   A.  M. 


/^ 


SERMON, 

DELIVERED  JUNE  SEVENTH,  1823, 
AT  THE  OPENING  OF  THE 

NEW  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 

IN  ARCH  STREET,  IN  THE  CITY  OF  PHILADELPHIA, 
FOR  THE  PUBLIC  WORSHIP  OF  GOD 


BY  SAMUEL  MILLER,  D.  D. 

PROFESSOR  IN  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, AT  PRINOETON 


PUlLJiDELPHU. 

Published  by  T.  T.  ^sli.  Fourth  and  Walnut  Sirs. 


Philadelphia,  June  1th,  1823. 

At  a  meeting  of  tJie  Association  for  building  a 
Presbyterian  Church  on  Arch  near    Tenth  street, 

UNANIMOUSLY  RESOLVED, 

That  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner^  Dr.  Charles 
D.  Meigs,  and  Mr.  Thomas  B.  Dairach,  be  a  com- 
mittee to  present  the  thanks  of  the  Association  to  the 
Eev.  Dr.  Miller,  for  the  Sermon  delivered  by  him  at 
the  opening  of  the  Church;  and  that  they  respectfully 
request  of  him  a  copy  thereof  for  publication. 

Jos.  H.  Dulles,  Secretary. 


SERMON,  ^c 


iOOOi 


II  Chronicles,  vi.  41. 

"  Now,  therefore,  arise,  O  Lord  God,  into  thy  resting 
place,  thou,  and  the  ark  of  thy  strength/" 

The  history  of  buildings  and  places  devoted  to  the 
worship  of  God,  especially  in  the  earlier  periods  of  the 
Church,  is  very  obscure.  In  the  patriarchal  age,  we 
have  no  distinct  record  of  any  thing  of  this  kind.  That 
the  pious,  from  Adam  to  Moses,  were  no  strangers  to 
the  social  exercises  of  religion,  can  hardly  be  doubted: 
and  if  they  had  stated  social  worship,  we  must  suppose 
they  had  particular  places  to  which  they  resorted  for 
that  purpose.  Accordingly,  when  Cain,  by  murdering 
his  brother,  had  forfeited  his  former  standing  as  a 
professor  of  religion,  we  are  told  that  "  he  went  out 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord;"  by  which  commenta- 
tors have  generally  understood  to  be  meant,  that  he 
no  longer  associated  with  the  people  of  God;  that  he 
no  more  frequented  the  place  where  sacrifices  were 


4 

wont  to  be  offered;  but  became,  literally,  excommuni- 
cated from  the  visible  church.    In  subsequent  times  we 
find  the  pious,  wherever  they  sojourned,  or  fixed  their 
residence,  erecting  altars,  at  which  they,  and  probably 
their  households,  worshipped  God.    Thus  did  JVoah, 
and  thus,  after  him,  did  Mraham  and  Jacob,  on  a  va- 
riety of  occasions.    The  Tabernacle,  reared  by  divine 
direction  in  the  wilderness  of^  Arabia,  on  the  journey  of 
the  chosen  people  of  God  from  Egypt  to  Canaan,  more 
than  twenty-five  centuries  after  the  visible  Church  was 
established,  seems  to  have  been  the  first  moveable 
structure,  and  the  Temple  o^ Solomon,  at  Jerusalem,  the 
first  fixed  edifice  that  was  ever  erected  for  a  religious 
purpose. 

The  Temple  of  Solomon  has  been  justly  styled  the 
wonder  and  glory  of  the  East.  It  was  certainly,  on 
many  accounts,  the  most  remarkable  edifice  that  was 
ever  erected.  Imagine,  for  a  moment,  a  building  of 
which  "  Jehovah  himself  condescended  to  be  the  ar- 
chitect." A  building,  in  the  construction  of  which, 
scarcely  any  thing  appeared  of  less  value  than  silver 
and  gold.  A  building  on  which  was  bestowed  the  la- 
Jjour  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  workmen  for 
more  than  seven  years.    And  a  building  in  which  there 

was,  no  doubt,  a  greater  display  of  grandeur,  taste,  and 
beauty  than  in  any  other  structure  that  was  ever  raised 

by  the  hand  of  man. 

But  all  this  external  splendour  and  glory  did  not 

satisfy  the  pious  mind  of  Solomon.    After  bestowing 

upon  tjie  outward  adorning  of  this  temple,  all  that  his 


exalted  genius  and  his  royal  treasures,  under  the  spe- 
cial direction  of  God,  enabled  him  to  afford,  he  still 
acknowledges,  in  his  prayer  at  its  dedication — of  which 
our  text  is  a  part — that  the  ornament,  the  glory  which 
he  values  most,  is  the  presence  of  Jehovah  in  the 
house  which  he  had  erected  to  his  name.   Xow,  there- 
fore, arise,   O  Lord  God,  into  thy  resting  place,  thou 
and  the  ark  of  thy  strength!  As  if  he  had  said—'-  The 
art  of  man  has  done  all  that  it  can  accomplish.    But 
vain  will  be  every  thing,  unless  the  Lord  himself  come 
and  take  up  his  abode  in  the  temple  which  we  have 
raised  to  his  gloiy.  Come  then,  thou  God  of  the  House,, 
and  crown  our  labours  with  thy  presence!  Come,  thou. 
and  enter  in,  and  dwell  here:  and  this  will  be  the  con- 
summation of  our  desires'." 

The  Ark  of  God,  to  which  the  royal  suppliant  here 
refers,  was  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  originally  formed 
by  divine  direction  in  the  wilderness,  and  deposited  in 
the  Most  Holy  Place,  first  in  the  Tabernacle,  and  af- 
terwards in  the  Temple.  On  the  interesting  occasion 
on  which  the  words  of  our  text  were  delivered,  this 
Ark  was  with  much  solemnity  brought,  and,  for  the 
first  time,  placed  in  the  House  of  God,  as  the  most 
precious  part  of  its  furniture.  It  was  called  the  .irk  of 
Jehovah's  strength,  because  it  was  a  pledge  of  his  pre- 
sence; and  because  it  was  attended,  whithersoever  it 
went,  with  most  remarkable  manifestations  of  divine 
power.  And  the  Temple,  in  which  it  was  now  deposited, 
is  represented  as  the  resting  place  of  God  and  his  Ark, 
because,  after  many  removals,  for  the  space  of  several 


hundred  years,  this  symbol  of  the  divine  presence  and 
•^lory,  was,  at  length,  fixed  in  the  Most  Holy  Place  in 
the  Temple,  as  its  permanent  and  final  abode. 

Although,  in  this  prayer  of  Solomon,  there  was,  no 
doubt,  something  asked  which  was  peculiar  to  the 
Temple,  and  to  the  dispensation  under  which  it  was 
erected;  and  for  which  we,  of  course,  cannot  ask  in 
behalf  of  any  place  of  worship  under  the  christian  dis- 
pensation; yet  there  is  also  something  in  its  import 
common  to  all  ages,  and  which  applies  to  every  place 
in  which  God  is  worshipped.  It,  therefore,  forms  a 
proper  subject  of  discourse  at  this  time. 

The  blessing  here  implored  is  the  presence  and 
power  of  God;  and  that  to  be  displayed  in  a  house  de- 
voted to  his  worship.  Let  us  inquire  into  the  nature 
and  the  value  of  this  blessing.  And  while  we  speak 
of  it,  may  the  great  Master  of  assemblies  cause  us  to 
experience  its  blessed  reality,  to  the  glory  of  his  holy 


name 


I.  The  first  question  which  arises  is,  what  is  the  na- 
ture of  the  blessing  here  implmed?  What  are  we  to 
understand  by  that  presence  and  power  of  God,  in  a 
house  devoted  to  his  worship,  which,  under  the  gospel 
dispensation,  we  may  properly  ask  and  hope  to  receive.'* 

God  is  every  where  present.  There  is  a  sense  in 
which,  according  to  the  language  of  the  Apostle  Paul, 
in  his  serjiion  at  Athens^  He  dwelldh  not  in  temples 
made  with  hands;—ih'di  is,  he  is  not,  as  the  Pagans 
imagined,  concerning  their  deities,  confined  to  particu- 
lar buildings  or  places.   All  space  is  his  temple.  Every 


part  of  the  universe  is  his  abode.  This  most  impres- 
sive, and  incomprehensibly  glorious  doctrine  is  sug- 
gested by  Solomon  in  the  very  prayer  of  which  our  text 
is  a  part.  Will  God,  in  very  deed^  he  asks,  dwetl  with 
man  on  the  earth?  Behold,  the  heaven,  and  the  heaven 
of  heavens  cannot, contain  thee;  hmv  much  less  this  house 
which  I  have  builded!  This  is  the  essential  presence 
of  God.  It  is  the  same  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places. 
It  is  the  same  in  heaven,  earth,  and  hell,  it  pervades 
the  universe;  supporting,  actuating,  and  controlling  all 
creatures,  and  all  their  actions.  The  Most  High  can 
no  more  cease,  for  a  moment,  to  be  present  every 
where,  than  he  can  cease  to  be  God. 

There  is  another  sense  in  which  God  was  present 
in  certain  buildings  and  places,  under  the  Old  Testa- 
ment dispensation;  and  which,  so  far  as  we  know,  was 
confined  to  that  dispensation,  I  mean  the  manner  in 
which  he  was  present,  and  manifested  his  power  at 
Luz,  in  the  wilderness,  when  the  patriarch  Jacob  cried 
out  under  a  sense  of  it — How  dreadful  is  this  place! 
Surely  tlie  Lord  is  in  this  place!  Verily,  this  is  none  other 
than  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven!* 
Jehovah  was  also  present,  in  a  similar  manner,  at  the 
burning  bush  in  Midian,  when  he  appeared  and  spoke 
to  Moses,  and  said,-— Pw«  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet, 
for  the  place  wtmeon  thou  standeth  is  Iioly  js^round.f 
Another  example  of  this  solemn  presence  and  manifes- 
tation of  the  divine  glory,  was  exhibited  at  mount  Sinai, 
when  the  people  were  forbidden  to  approach  the  moun- 

*  Genesis,  xxviii,  16,  17.  |  Exodus,  iii,  5. 


8 

tain  ou  account  of  it;  when  thunderings,  and  lightnings, 
and  earthquake,  struck  terror  into  the  whole  congrega- 
tion of  Israel,  and  constrained  even  Moses,  with  all  his 
piety  and  heroism,  and  all  his  holy  familiarity  with  God, 
to  say — 1  exceedingly  fear  and  quake*  And,  finally,  of 
this  presence  and  manifestation  of  the  divine  glory,  we 
have  a  signal  example  in  the  SJiekinah,  or  visible  token 
of  the  majesty  of  God,  which,  for  ages,  appeared  over 
the  Mercy  Seat,  in  the  Most  Holy  Place  in  the  Taber- 
nacle, and  afterwards  in  the  Temple.  For,  although 
there  was  considerable  diversity  of  mode  in  which  the 
divine  presence  was  manifested  in  each  of  these  seve- 
ral cases;  yet  they  may  all  be  regarded  as  coming  un- 
der one  general  law,  as  referable  to  one  general  class. 
This  may  be  called  the  miraculous,  or  extraordina- 
ry PRESENCE  of  God.  It  was  a  presence  which  ad- 
dressed itself  to  the  external  senses.  It  was  visible 
and  audible;  and  it  imparted  a  relative  holiness  to  the 
places  in  which  it  was  manifested.  This  relative  holi- 
ness, in  some  cases  at  least,  depended  not  upon  the 
presence  of  worshippers.  It  was  adherent,  if  I  may  so 
express  it,  to  the  buildings  and  places  themselves.  They 
were,  properly  speaking — especially  those  which  were 
last  mentioned — ^^consecrated  buildings  and  places. 
Whether  there  was  a  worshipper  or  not  in  the  Taber- 
nacle, or  in  the  Temple,  still  the  Shekinah,  or  visible 
glory  of  God,  overspread  the  Mercy  Seatj  and  any  one 
who  profanely  entered  the  sacred  apartment,  or  even 
glanced  an  eye,  contrary  to  the  divine  injunction,  on  the 

■Hebrews,  xii,  21. 


august  symbol,  was  considered  as  a  capital  offender 
against  the  majesty  of  heaven,  and  inevitably  perished. 

In  this  sense,  we  are  not  to  expect,  or  to  ask,  the 
Most  High  to  dwell  in  any  building,  or  in  any  place, 
under  the  gospel  dispensation.  That  particular  mode 
of  manifesting  the  divine  glory  to  the  Church,  was 
chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  confined  to  the  ceremonial 
economy,  and,  of  course,  terminated  when  that  econo- 
my was  abolished. 

But  there  is  a  third  sense,  in  which  God  may  be 
said  to  be  present,  in  those  places  or  buildings  which 
are  devoted  to  his  worship.  I  refer  to  his  spiritual 
and  GRACIOUS  presence.  Jehovah  dwells,  by  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  every  sanctified  heart.  Thus  saith 
the  High  and  Lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  I  dwell 
in  the  high  and  holy  place,  and  with  him  also  that  is 
contrite,  and  of  an  humble  spint,  and  that  trembkth  at 
my  word*  And  in  conformity  with  this  representation, 
the  Apostle  Paid  says  to  believers,  What,  know  ye  not 
that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  dwelleth  in  you?  As  God  hath  said,  J  will  dwell 
in  them,  and  walk  in  them,  and  1  will  be  their  God, 
and  they  shall  be  my  people.]  Wherever,  then,  there 
is  an  humble,  contrite,  believing  heart,  there  Jeho- 
vah is  spiritually  and  graciously  present;  present  to 
enlighten,  to  sanctify,  to  comfort,  and  to  bless.  Wher- 
ever a  sincere  and  devout  worshipper  lifts  up  his  soul 
in  faith  and  love  to  heaven,  whether  in  the  closet  or 

*  Isaiah,  Ivii,  15,  Ixvi,  2.  J  I  Cor,  iii,  16.    II  Cor.  vi,  16. 

B 


10 

in  the  field;  on  the  trackless  ocean  or  in  the  lonely 
desert,  he  may  find  and  enjoy  a  present  God,  In  this 
respect,  as  was  said  with  regard  to  his  essential  pre- 
sence, God  is  confined  to  no  times,  to  no  places,  to  no 
forms.  Wherever  there  is  a  holy  heart,  of  whatever 
kindred  or  people,  or  nation,  or  tongue,  He  comes  in 
to  him,  and  makes  his  abode  with  him. 

But,  as  Jehovah  always  has  had,  and  always  will 
have,  a  respect  to  his  covenant,  and  will  put  honour 
upon  the  ordinances  of  his  own  appointment;  so  wher- 
ever his  people  are  assembled  for  acts  of  social  wor- 
ship. He  has  promised  to  favour  them,  in  a  special 
manner,  with  his  gracious  presence: — and,  in  attending 
on  the  ordinances  of  his  house,  they  are  encouraged  to 
expect  the  divine  presence,  in  a  manner  which  they 
may  not  ordinarily  hope  for  in  the  neglect  of  these 
ordinances.  Where  two  oi^  three  are  gathered  together, 
said  the  Saviour,  in  my  nanie^  there  am  I  in  the  midst 
of  them*  The  Lord,  says  the  Psalmist,  loveth  the  gates 
of  Zion  more  than  all  tfie  dwellings  of  Jacob.  The 
Lord  hath  chosen  Zion:  He  hath  desired  it  for  an  ha- 
bitation: this  is  my  rest  forever;  here  will  1  dwell,  for  I 
have  desired  it.j  Yes,  my  Christian  friends — in  the 
sanctuary,  that  is,  in  the  place  where  the  people  of  God 
habitually  convene,  wherever  that  may  be,  to  hear  his 
holy  word,  to  sing  his  praise,  to  pour  out  the  prayer  of 
faith,  and  to  receive  the  sacramental  seal — there,  in  a 
special  manner,  Jehovah,  the  king  of  Zion  is  present 

'  Matt.  xviii,20.  +  Psa.  Ixxxvii,  <2.     Fsa.  cxxxii.  13,  M 


II 

with  them:  there  He  accepts  both  their  persons  and 
their  offerings:  there  he  manifests  himself  to  them,  as 
he  does  not  to  the  world:  there  he  draws  near  to  them 
in  mercy,  and  enables  them  to  draw  near  to  Him  in 
the  lively  exercise  of  grace:  there  He  lifts  upon  them 
the  light  of  his  countenance,  and  gives  them  joy  and 
peace  in  believing:  there  He  brings  them  into  his  ban- 
queting house,  and  his  banner  over  them  is  love. 

The  foregoing  principles  and  remarks  will,  I  con- 
ceive, enable  us  to  determine  in  what  sense  we  are  to 
invoke,  and  to  expect,  the  presence  and  the  power  of 
God,  in  places  devoted  to  his  worship,  under  the  gospel 
dispensation,  and  in  what  sense  we  are  not.  We  are 
not,  by  any  means,  as  I  just  intimated,  to  invoke,  or  to 
expect  this  blessing  in  the  same  mode  in  which  it  was 
manifested  in  a  number  of  cases,  under  the  Mosaic 
economy,  and  especially  in  the  tabernacle  and  temple 
of  old.  We  are  not  to  invoke  or  to  expect  it  in  any 
sense  which  implies  either  intrinsic  or  relative  holiness 
in  such  buildings  or  places.  Intrinsic  holiness  can  be 
ascribed  to  nothing  but  the  real,  spiritual  church, — the 
body  of  believers,  whom  the  Redeemer  hath  purchased 
with  his  blood,  and  sanctified  by  his  Spirit:  and  relative 
holiness  can  be  ascribed  to  nothing  but  that  which  is 
devoted  exclusively  to  holy  purposes.  The  most  Holy 
Place,  under  the  ceremonial  economy,  could  be  entered 
by  only  one  individual  of  all  the  nation  of  Israel,  and 
by  him  only  once  a  year.  And  even  into  the  Holy  Place 
none  might  enter  or  so  much  as  look,  but  those  who 
bore  the  sacerdotal  character.    But  a  little  reflection 


}2 

will  convince  us  that  our  places  of  public  worship  can- 
not be  holy,  even  in  this  latter  sense,  so  long  as  they 
are  open  to  the  worldly  as  well  as  the  pious;  so  long 
as  we  permit  the  profane  and  unbelieving  to  come  and 
mingle  in  our  assemblies,  with  the  most  spiritual  and 
exemplary  worshippers.  When,  therefore,  we  adopt 
the  prayer  of  our  text  in  reference  to  this  house,  it  is 
not,  that  its  seats  and  aisles,  its  columns  and  arches 
may  have  some  mysterious  sanctity  impressed  upon 
them,  but  that  God  may  be  pleased  to  manifest  his 
spiritual  presence — his  gracious  power  to  his  people, 
when  they  shall  assemble  here  from  time  to  time:  that 
here  sinners  may  be  convinced  and  converted,  and 
saints  edified  and  comforted;  that  here  He  may  bless 
the  provisions  of  his  house,  and  satisfy  his  poor  mth 
bread:  that  here  He  may  clothe  his  ministers  with  sal- 
vation, and  cause  his  saints  to  shout  aloud  for  joy.  And 
the  more  frequently  and  powerfully  these  manifesta- 
tions of  his  gracious,  life-giving,  and  sanctifying  in- 
fluence are  enjoyed,  the  more  largely  is  the  blessing 
implored  in  our  text  conferred. 

It  was  said  by  the  inspired  Prophet  Haggai,  con- 
cerning the  Second  Temple,  erected  by  a  set  of  im- 
poverished returning  captives — The  glory  of  this  latter 
lumse  shall  be  greater  than  the  glory  of  tlie  former* 
What  was  the  Prophet's  meaning?  The  Temple  of 
which  this  was  spoken,  was  greatly,  I  had  almost  said 
infinitely,  inferior  to  that  which  Solomon  dedicated, 

*  Haggai,  ii,  9. 


13 

when  he  uttered  the  words  of  our  text.  Inferior  in 
cost,  in  splendour,  in  furniture,  and  in  all  its  outward 
glories.  It  even  lacked  that  Ark  of  Jehovah's  strength, 
which  adorued  the  first  edifice,  and  that  Symbol 
of  the  divine  presence  which  overspread  the  Mercy 
Seat  above.  Yet  still  it  was  really  more  glorious  than 
the  former  Temple.  Why  so?  Because  it  was  favoured 
with  the  presence  of  Christ  himself,  in  a  sense  more 
truly  valuable  and  glorious  than  any  thing  vouchsafed 
under  the  ceremonial  dispensation.  The  Redeemer 
was  present  personally,  and  by  his  blessed  spirit  in 
this  second  Temple: — present  in  a  manner  far  more 
adapted  to  enlighten,  to  purify,  to  elevate,  and  to  bless, 
than  that  presence  which  had  been  the  honour  of  the 
original  structure.  And,  let  me  add,  that  the  humblest 
and  meanest  edifice  which  is  favoured  with  the  spiri- 
tual presence  of  the  king  of  Zion,  is,  in  all  cases  what- 
soever, beyond  comparison,  more  glorious  than  the 
most  magnificent  temple,  the  glories  of  which  are  all 
of  the  outward  and  secular  kind. 

The  primitive  Christians,  my  friends,  had  no  such 
temples  for  the  worship  of  God,  as  that  in  which  we 
are  now  assembled.  They  held  their  solemn  assem- 
bHes  in  private  houses, — in  retired  upper  chambers, — 
in  cellars,— in  caves,— and  even  in  vaults,  in  which 
the  dead  were  deposited.  It  was  not,  as  is  generally 
believed,  until  some  time  in  the  latter  half  of  the  third 
century,  that  they  began  to  erect  houses  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  public  worship.  And  even  these,  at 
first,  were  of  the  most  plain  and  simple  kind.    It  was 


u 

in^fi mark  it  well — when  the  disciples  of  Christ  were 

persecuted  on  every  side,  and  when  they  had  neither 
the  means  nor  the  privilege  of  raising  those  expensive 
and  splendid  structures  for  the  worship  of  God,  which 
afterwards  became  so  common^— it  was  then  that  they 
enjoyed,  in  a  pre-eminent  degree,  the  presence  and  the 
gracious  power  of  their  ascended  Master.  It  was  then 
that  the  blessing  implored  in  our  text,  in  its  proper 
gospel  sense,  was,  perhaps,  more  happily  and  glorious- 
ly realized  than  ever  before  or  since.  Yes,  brethren, 
it  was  in  those  early  times,  when  the  Church  had  none 
of  that  external  splendour  thrown  around  her,  which 
dazzles  the  eyes,  and  attracts  the  admiration  of  the 
worldly  minded;  when  magnificent  temples  and  rich 
ecclesiastical  endowments  were  unknown;  when  all 
was  simple  and  unostentatious,  and  humble: — it  was 
THEN,  pre-eminently,  that  the  king  of  Zion  dwelt  among 
his  people.  Then  tfie  word  of  the  Lord  had  free  course, 
and  was  glmified.  Then  the  Churches  were  huilt  up 
in  the  most  holy  faith — and  converts,  walking  in  tJie 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
were  multiplied.  Then,  in  a  word,  the  Spirit  and  pre- 
sence of  Christ,  dwelling  and  reigning  among  his  peo- 
ple, and  manifested  in  all  the  ordinances  of  his  ap- 
pointment, and  in  holy  tempers  and  practice  formed 
the  brightest  era  in  the  history  of  the  Church. 

But  when,  in  the  fourth  century,  the  fires  of  perse- 
cution were  quenched;  when  the  wealth  and  grandeur 
of  the  world  began  to  take  the  side  of  Christianity; 
when  Constantino  the  great  loaded  ecclesiastics  with 


15 

multiplied  houours,  and  lavished  his  imperial  treasures 
on  the  erection  and  endowment  of  splendid  cathedrals; 
when  the  ministers  of  the  sanctuary,  instead  of  direct- 
ing all  their  attention  to  the  true  spiritual  interests  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  began  to  expend  their  ener- 
gies in  the  pomp  and  toil  of  a  gaudy  ritual,  and  to  ex- 
ceed Paganism  itself,  in  outward  gloryj — then  the  spirit 
and  power  of  Christ,  in  the  same  proportion,  departed 
from  the  Church.  As  the  ceremonial  of  piety  increased, 
the  reality  of  it  gradually  declined.  The  more  splendid 
professions  and  mock  consecrations  were  multiphed, 
the  less  power  did  real  holiness  maintain  over  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  men.  In  short,  the  more  laborious- 
ly men  strove  to  impart  holiness  to  those  things  to  which 
it  never  was,  or  could  be  imparted,  the  more  misera- 
bly did  they  fail  of  manifesting  it  in  those  things  to 
which  it  did  properly  belong,  and  in  which  it  ought  to 
have  been  manifested.  Hence  arose,  in  this  century, 
for  the  first  time,  so  far  as  history  informs  us,  the 
pompous  consecration  of  churches,  with  many  super- 
stitious notions  relative  to  their  holiness^  and  several 
centuries  afterwards,  the  consecration  of  church-yards, 
church  bells,  and  church  vessels;— notions  and  prac- 
tices which  have  generally  had  most  stress  laid  upon 
them  in  those  churches  and  times  in  which  the  genuine 
spirit  of  the  gospel  had  least  practical  influence. 

I  mention  these  things,  my  friends,  not  by  any  means 
for  the  purpose  of  imputing  blame  to  those  who  may 
differ  from  us  in  opinion  on  this  subject;  but  merely  to 
show  how  prone  professing  Christians  have  been,  in  all 


16 

ages,  to  mistake  the  real  nature  of  that  blessing  of  which 
we  are  speaking,  and  which  it  is  a  part  of  the  appro- 
priate service  of  this  day  to  implore.     To  show  that, 
in  fact,  where  there  has  been  most  external  magnifi- 
cence and  splendour,  most  laboured  ceremonial,  and 
outward  glory,  there  has  commonly  been  least  of  that 
spiritual  presence  and  power  of  the  King  of  Zion,  which 
is  the  true  happiness  and  glory  of  the  church.     And, 
on  the  contrary,  that  some  of  those  periods  which  have 
been  most  remarkable  for  affliction  and  depression,  with 
respect  to  the  external  church,  have  been  distinguished 
by  the  most  signal  displays  of  her  Master's  power  and 
love; — the  word  and  ordinances  have  been  accompa- 
nied with  a  peculiar  Divine  energy; — vital  piety  has 
been  more  deep  and  prevalent;  the  flame  of  faith,  and 
love,  and  universal  hohness,  have  risen  far  higher,  and 
shone  with  a  far  brighter  lustre  than  in  more  externally 
prosperous  seasons.     And  happy  is  that  church,  the 
members  of  which,  understanding  the  real  nature  of 
the  blessing  in  question,  and  holding  every  thing  else 
subordinate  to  it,  cease  not  to  pray  for  its  attainment, 
and  to  pursue  that  humble,  spiritual  course,  which  is 
adapted,  under  the  government  of  a  faithful  and  prayer- 
hearing  God,  to  draw  it  down  in  its  most  plenteous 
effusions! 

Having  thus  briefly  considered  the  nature  of  this 
blessing,  let  us 

II.  Attend  to  its  value.  The  wise  man  prays  for  it 
as  for  a  most  important  object;  as  something  which  he 
deemed  far  more  desirable  and  precious  than  all  the 


17 

outward  splendour  that  the  wealth  and  the  art  of  man 
could  confer. 

Need  I  stop,  my  friends,  to  show,  by  formal  reason- 
ing, that  the  wise  man's  estimate  of  this  matter  was 
correct; — that  the  presence  and  the  gracious  power  of 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  is  the  richest,  the  most 
precious  blessing  that  any  church  can  receive; — that, 
however  poor  and  depressed  in  her  external  condition, 
if  she  be  favoured  with  a  large  measure  of  this  blessing, 
she  is  rich  indeed;  but  that,  if  she  have  it  not,  though 
loaded  with  all  the  wealth,  and  honours,  and  outward 
prosperity  that  a  flattering  world  can  bestow — she  is 
poor  and  miserable,  and  would  appear  so  in  her  own 
view,  if  she  could  see  herself  in  a  just  light? 

What,  let  me  ask,  is  the  great  design  of  the  Church? 
If  it  be,  indeed,  as  many  seem  to  imagine,  an  institu- 
tion the  chief  object  of  which  is  to  polish  and  adorn 
the  surface  of  society: — if  its  grand  purpose  be  mere- 
ly to  furnish  objects  which  shall  dazzle  the  senses, 
gratify  the  imagination,  cultivate  the  taste,  and  soften 
the  manners  of  men: — if  it  be  intended,  in  short,  to 
furnish  a  place  for  an  elegant  and  entertaining  lounge 
on  the  Lord's  day;  to  supply  on  special  occasions  the 
pageant  of  an  imposing  cerenionial;  to  seal  us  with  the 
Christian  name,  when  we  enter  the  world,  and  to  so- 
lemnize with  appropriate  exercises  our  sepulture,  when 
we  leave  it: — if  such  be  the  chief  design  of  the  Church 
— then,  indeed,  we  might  suppose,  that  the  greater  its 
external  glory,  the  more  perfectly  it  would  answer  the 
great  purpose  which  it  was  intended  to  subserve;  and 
C 


18 

that  nothing  else  was  really  essential  to  the  attainment 
of  its  highest  benefits. 

But  if  the  Church  has  been  established  by  its  all- 
wise  and  all-gracious  Master,  that  it  may  be  a  nursery 
for  Heaven;— if,  to  this  end,  every  thing  respecting  it 
has  been  so  prescribed  by  infinite  Wisdom  and  Love, 
as  to  render  it  admirably  adapted  to  become  the  birth- 
place of  souls; — the  means  of  convincing  and  convert- 
ing sinners,  and  of  enlightning  and  comforting  believ- 
ers;— ifj  in  a  word,  the  great  design  of  the  Church  is 
to  be  the  depository  of  Jehovah's  truth  and  ordinances; 
— to  bear  witness  to  his  Gospel  and  his  glory,  before 
an  unbelieving  world; — and  to  become  the  means  of 
sanctifying  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men,  and  thus  pre- 
paring them  to  be  happy  members  of  the  society  of  their 
i'ellow  men,  in  this  world,  and  above  all  to  be  parta- 
kers of  the  holy  joys  of  his  presence  in  the  world  to 
come: — if  such  be  the  great  design  of  the  Church;  the 
great  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally  founded,  and 
for  which  it  is  still  preserved  and  supported; — then, 
surely,  the  gracious  presence,  the  sanctifying  power  of 
Christ,  is  the  most  invaluable  blessing  that  can  be  con- 
ferred on  the  church  at  large,  or  on  any  particular 
"branch  of  it.     It  is  the  grand  blessing  which  the  friends 
of  Zion  ought  to  desire  above  all  others,  and  for  which 
they  are  bound  to  labour  and  pray  without  ceasing. 

It  is  only  so  far  as  the  gracious  presence  and  bless- 
ing of  Christ  are  vouchsafed  to  his  church; — it  is  only 
so  far  as  the  King  of  Zion  condescends  to  come  and 
dwell  in  it,  with  the  "  ark  of  his  strength,*'  that  any 


19 

real  spiritual  benefits  are  enjoyed  by  his  people.  With- 
out his  gracious  presence,  there  is  no  true  spiritual 
worship,  no  profitable  hearing  of  the  word,  no  real 
benefit  in  ordinances.  We  may  write  upon  them  all — 
Ichabnd — for  the  glory  is  departed/  But  when  the  King 
comes,  in  the  power  of  his  grace  and  love,  into  those 
places  in  which  his  name  is  recorded, — then  his. 
Word  is  quick  and  powerful, — religion  is  revived, — 
times  of  refreshing  come; — many  hear  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  God,  and  they  that  hear  are  made  to  live; 
multitudes  are  seen  asking  the  way  to  Zion,  ivith  their 
faces  thitherward,  and  saying —  Come  let  us  join  our^ 
selves  to  the  Lord  in  a  perpetual  covenant  never  to  he 
forgotten. 

Further;  it  is  the  gracious  presence  and  blessing  of 
Christ  which  renders  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  de- 
Ughtful,  as  well  as  beneficial  to  his  people.  Without 
this  blessing,  all  is  dull  and  comfortless;  but  with  it,  all 
is  light,  and  peace  and  joy.  When  this  is  enjoyed,  and 
then  only,  the  pious  can  say,  with  experimental  plea- 
sure, How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  0  fjord  of  Hosts! 
Jl  day  in  thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand.  My 
soul  thirsteth,  yea  even  longeth,for  the  courts  of  the  Lord. 
My  soul  is  salisfi£d  as  with  manow  and  fatness.  I  sot 
down  under  his  shadow  ivith  delight,  and  his  fruit  was 
sweet  to  my  taste. 

In  short,  what  the  light  and  genial  warmth  of  the 
sun  are  to  the  natural  world,  that,  and  unspeakably 
more,  is  the  presence  of  Christ  with  his  Church  and 
people.     It  brings  life,  and  growth,  and  fruitfulness, 


50 

wherever,  and  in  proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  it 
is  conferred.  It  quickens  the  spiritually  dead; — warms 
and  excites  to  activity  the  cold  and  ice-bound  believer; 
and  causes  fruit  to  abound  where  all  had  been  bar- 
renness and  sterility  before.  What  is  hell,  but  being 
banished  forever /rom  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  atui 
from  the  glory  of  his  potver?  And  what  is  heaven, 
and  the  heaven  of  heavens,  but  the  uninterrupted  and 
everlasting  enjoyment  of  Him  whose  favour  is  life,  and 
whose  loving  kindness  is  better  than  life?  What  is  the 
essence  of  the  celestial  blessedness,  but  enjoying 
without  a  cloud,  and  without  measure,  that  gracious 
presence  of  God  which  is  vouchsafed  in  a  degree  when- 
ever a  soul  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  is  raised  to 
newness  of  life,  or  a  child  of  God  JUled  with  joy  and 
peace  in  believing?  I  shall  be  satisfied,  says  one,  when 
I  awake  with  thy  likeness.  In  thy  presence  is  fulness 
of  joy,  and  at  thy  right  hand  are  pleasures  forever 
more* 

Permit  me,  now,  brethren,  to  employ  the  foregoing 
illustration  of  the  text  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing 
several  practical  considerations,  which  appear  to  be 
suggested  by  what  has  been  said,  and  by  the  solemni- 
ties of  this  day. 

I.  And  the  first  practical  lesson  which  our  sub- 
ject suggests  is,  that  professing  Christians  are  every 
where  bound,  as  far  as  possible,  to  provide  them- 
selves WITH  COMMODIOUS  AND  COMFORTABLE  HOUSES 
FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF  WORSHIPPING    GOD.       W  C  are  not 

Psa.  xvji.  J  5.  xvi-  11. 


21 

indeed,  bound,  nay,  I  think,  we  are  not  at  liberty,  un- 
der the  simple  spiritual  dispensation  in  which  our  lot 
is  cast,  to  emulate,  even  if  it  were  in  our  power,  the 
splendour  or  expense  of  the  Old  Testament  Temple. 
The  unrivalled  richness  and  glory  of  that  wonderful 
edifice,  were  intended  to  answer  great   typical    and 
ceremonial  purposes,  which  called  for  every  thing  that 
was  bestowed  upon  it.     But  the  same  thing,  I  appre- 
hend, would  not  be  lawful,  without  a  special  divine 
warrant,  under  the  present  dispensation.     To  expend 
millions  upon  a  single  place  of  worship  now,   while 
thousands  of  poor  around  us  are  suffering  for  bread, 
and  while  a  great  majority  of  our  race  are  still  co- 
vered with  Pagan  darkness,  and  perishing  for  lack  of 
knowledge, — appears  so   unreasonable  and  criminal, 
that  I  hope  we  are  in  no  danger  of  going  to  that  ex- 
treme.    But  another,  and  perhaps,  a  much  more  com- 
mon extreme,  especially  in  our  church,  taken  at  large, 
is,  contenting  ourselves  with  nnean  and  uncomfortable 
houses  in  which  to  worship  God.     Nay,  it  is  not  very 
uncommon,  in  some  districts,  for  a  number  of  the  opu- 
lent members  of  our  truly  primitive  and  apostolical 
Church,  to  dwell  themselves  in  ceiled  houses,  while  tfic 
house  of  God  lies^  comparatively,  ivaste.     This,  I  will 
venture  to  say,  is  both  disreputable  and  criminal.    We 
ought  always  to  be  ready  to  serve  God  with  the  best 
THAT  WE  POSSESS.     No  worshippcr  ought  ever  to  be 
willing  to  live  in  a  better  house  than  that  which  he,  with 
others,  has  devoted  to  his  Maker  and  Kedeemer.  -  And 
while,  on  the  one  hand,  that  splendour  and  magnificence 


22 

of  architecture,  which  is  adapted  to  arrest  and  occupy 
the  mind,  and  to  draw  it  away  from  spiritual  objects, 
ought  carefully  to  be  avoided;  and  avoided,  not  merely 
on  the  score  of  expensey  but  of  christian  edification; 
so,  on  the  other  hand,  that  simple  tasteful  elegance,  on 
which  the  eye  is  apt  to  rest  with  composed  satisfaction; 
that  studious  provision  for  perfect  convenience  and 
comfort,  which  is  calculated  to  place  every  worship- 
per in  circumstances  favourable  to  tranquil,  undivided 
and  devout  attention,  ought  to  be  always  and  carefully 
consulted  by  every  congregation,  thatisobie  to  accom- 
plish what  is  desirable  in  these  respects.*     And  per- 

*  May  it  not  be  questioned,   whether  the  principles  which  ought  to 
regulate  our  conduct  in  relation  to  this  subject,  have  been  at  all  times 
duly  regarded?     It  is  a  law  of  our  mental,  as  well  as  of  our  physical  na- 
ture, that  two  classes  of  emotions  cannot  be  in  a  high,  certainly  not  in  a 
governing,  degree  of  exercise  at  the  same  time.     Whenever,  therefore, 
we  assemble  for  the  worship  of  God  in  situations  in  which  we  are  con- 
stantly surrounded  and  addressed  by  the  most  exquisite  productions  of  art, 
which  arrest  and  engross  the  mind,  we  are,  plainly,  not  in  circumstances 
favourable  to  true  spiritual  worship.     Would  any  rational  man  expect  to 
find  himself  really  devout  in  St.  Peter^s,  at  Rome,  even  if  the  most  scrip- 
tural service  were  performed  within  its  walls,  until  he  should  have  become 
so  familiar  wiih  the  unrivalled  specimens  of  taste  and  grandeur  around 
him,  as  to  forget  or  cease  to  feel  them?     Or,  would  any  one  be  likely  to 
"  make  melody  in  his  heart  to  the  Lord,"  while  the  most  skillful  and 
touching  refinements  of  music  saluted  and  ravished  his  ears?     Thrilled 
and  transported  be  might  be;  but  it  would  rather  be  the  transport  of 
natural  taste,  than  the  heavenliness  of  spiritual  devotion.     There  never 
was  a  sounder  maxim  than  that  delivered  in  the  plain  and  homely,  but 
forcible  language  of  the  celebrated  Mr.  Poole,  the  learned  compiler  of 
the  Synopsis  Criticorum,  so  well  known  throughout  the  Christian  world, 
in  the  Preface   to  a  Sermon,  entitled  "  Evangelical  Obedience,"  and 
pleached  before  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  in    1660.     Amidst  much 
•ther  excellent  matter,  the  author  observes--"  the  more  inveiglements 


23 

haps  it  may  not  be  improper  to  add,  that  all  this  is,  in 
my  judgment,  peculiarly  important  in  great  cities, 
where  the  point  of  taste  is  more  generally  consulted, 
and  where  the  style  and  magnitude  of  surrounding  ob- 
jects seem  to  demand  more  attention  to  appearances, 
than  may  be  absolutely  necessary,  or  even  truly  useful, 
in  a  different  situation. 

You  have,  therefore,  in  my  opinion,  acted  wisely, 
my  Friends,  in  the  erection  of  this  Edifice.  It  was 
a  measure  which  you  owed  to  yourselves,  to  your  chil- 
dren, and  to  the  Church  of  God.  Some  of  you  have 
already  vested,  and  others  will  vest,  no  small  amount 
of  property  here.  I  pray  you  grudge  not  the  investment. 
Perhaps  it  will  prove  to  be  the  best  part  of  your  estate. 
It  certainly  will  prove  to  be  so,  if  you  honestly  desire 
and  implore  that  blessing  from  the  king  of  Zion  of 

there  are  to  sense,  the  more  disadvantage  to  the  spirit."  No  one,  of 
course,  will  consider  this  maxim  as  intended  to  teach,  that,  in  order  to 
promote  the  spirit  of  true  devotion,  it  is  necessary  or  desirable  to  be 
surrounded  with  that  which  is  mean,  irregular,  or  disgusting  to  the  mind 
of  taste.  On  the  contrary,  the  fact  is,  that  such  mean  and  disgusting 
objects  tend  to  arrest  and  draw  away  the  mind  in  an  opposite  and  pain- 
ful manner;  and  are  thus,  perhaps,  with  respect  to  many  persons,  quite 
as  unfriendly  to  the  exercises  of  calm  piety,  as  the  utmost  fascinations 
of  art  can  be.  The  obvious  inference  from  the  whole,  then,  is,  that, 
for  the  house  of  God  no  style  of  architecture  or  of  music  is  so  favoura- 
ble to  the  most  elevated  exercises  of  pious  affection,  as  that  simple,  cor- 
rect, tasteful  style,  on  which  the  mind  rests  with  tranquil,  composed 
gratification,  without  being  either  painfully  occupied  with  emotions  of 
disgust,  or  captivated  and  borne  away  by  those  of  sensitive  pleasure. 
The  happy  medium,  in  this,  as  in  most  things,  is  conducive  to  the  high- 
est degree  of  edification:  while  all  short  of  it,  and  all  beyond  it,  will 
seldom  fail  of  proving  injurious, 


24 

which  we  have  been  speaking.  And,  at  any  rate,  if. 
by  aiding  to  erect  such  a  temple  to  the  Uving  God,  as 
will  be  likely  to  attract  and  fix  within  the  sound  of  the 
Gospel,  many  a  wavering  family  or  individual,  you  are 
made  instrumental  in  conferring  benefits,  inconceivably 
precious  in  their  nature,  and  endless  in  their  duration, 
on  many  immortal  souls,  think  you  that  you  will  ever 
regret  the  expenditure?  No,  my  friends,  rather  will 
you  have  reason  to  rejoice  in  it  more  and  more  for- 
ever! 
2.  The  spirit  of  our  text  seems  evidently  to  intimate, 

that  THE  PRACTICE  OF  OPENING  HOUSES  OP  PUBLIC  WOR- 
SHIP WITH  APPROPRIATE  RELIGIOUS  EXERCISES,  IS  A  RA- 
TIONAL AND  LAUDABLE  CUSTOM. 

I  am  no  friend,  my  respected  hearers,  to  many  of 
those  ideas,  in  relation  to  this  subject,  which  have  had 
much  currency  among  serious  people,  in  different  ages, 
and  which  are  now  received  by  no  small  portion  of  the 
community;  as  if,  by  the  solemnities  which  attend  the 
first  opening  of  a  church  for  public  worship,  it  became, 
properly,  a  consecrated  building;  in  other  words,  as  if 
there  were  a  kind  of  inherent  sanctity  imparted  to  the 
edifice  itself;  a  sanctity  which  communicated  some 
mysterious  efficacy  to  the  religious  services  per- 
formed within  its  walls.  I  know  of  nothing,  either 
in  scripture,  or  in  the  records  of  the  primitive  church, 
which  gives  the  smallest  countenance  to  ideas  of  this 
kind.  I  know  of  no  warrant,  as  1  before  intimated, 
for  believing  that  holiness  can  be  imparted  to  the  walls, 
or  arches,  or  seats,  within  which  we  assemble  to  wor- 


25 

ship  God.  And  when  we  recollect  the  mischievous 
superstitions,  and  delusive  hopes  which  have  been  so 
extensively  generated,  in  all  ages,  by  the  doctrine  in 
question,  it  surely  cannot  be  considered  as  a  very  pro- 
fitable, or  even  innocent  doctrine. 

But,  in  receding  from  an  errror  on  this  side,  let  us 
not  fall  into  one  on  the  other.  Because  the  iJea  of 
"  consecrating  a  church,"  as  that  phrase  is  commonly 
understood,  is  really  objectionable;  because  we  cannot 
conceive  of  holiness,  strictly  speaking,  being  imparted 
to  a  material  building-, — let  us  not  imagine  that  there 
is  any  thing,  either  unscriptural  or  unreasonable,  in 
entering  on  the  occupancy  of  a  house  intended  for 
public  worship,  with  appropriate  exercises  of  religion, 
and,  by  these  exercises,  solemnly  devoting  or  dedicat- 
ing it  to  God.  Is  it  unreasonable  or  unscriptural,  when 
we  com.mence  the  puhhc  occupation  of  such  a  house, 
to  thank  God  for  the  power  and  the  privilege  of  erect- 
ing it.''  Is  it  unreasonable  or  unscriptural  to  pray,  that 
his  blessing  may  rest  upon  the  erection  of  it; — that  he 
may  meet  his  people  there,  from  time  to  -time,  with 
the  manifestations  of  his  grace  and  his  love;— and  that 
his  word  preached,  and  his  ordinances  administered 
there,  may  be  attended  ivith  power  from  on  high?  Is 
it  unreasonable  or  unscriptural  to  begin  by  imploring 
from  Him  who  has  all  hearts  in  his  hands,  that  a  building 
erected  for  his  service,  may,  as  long  as^  it  shall  stand, 
be  devoted  to  his  glory; — that  no  false  doctrine  may  ever 
be  proclaimed,  or  criminal  practice  ever  recommended 
within  its  walls;— and  that  it  may  always  be  the  resort 
D 


V 

26 

of  spiritual  worshippers,  and  the  scene  of  glorious  tri- 
umphs over  sin  and  satan  ?     No,  my  friends,  1  must 
believe  that  this  is  all  rational  and  scriptural.    Nay, 
ullovv  me  to  ask — does  any  Christian  dare  to  enter  on 
the  occupancy  of  a  house  of  any  kind,  as  the  residence 
of  HIMSELF  or  his  FAMILY,  without  beginning  that  oc- 
cupancy with  fervent  prayer  for  a  blessing  upon  it; 
without  asking  the  God  of  all  grace  to  smile  upon  his 
residence  in  it,  and  to  make  it,  in  the  best  sense,  a 
place  of  comfort  and  prosperity  to  him  and  his-,  without 
in  fact,  in  a  sense,  dedicating  it  to  God?    I  say,  does 
any  Christian  dare  to  enter  on  the  occupancy  of  any 
HOUSE  without  this?    1  hope  not.    And  if  not,  can  he 
give  vent  to  the  best  feelings  of  his  heart,  if  he  open 
the  doors,  and  enter  the  seats  of  the  House  of  God> 
without  exercises  of  a  similar  kind,  but,  of  course,  more 
pubhc,  more  formal,  and,  therefore,  more  solemn? 

Accordingly,  it  has  been  customary,  I  believe,  in  all 
ages,  in  which  the  people  of  God  were  allowed  and 
were  able  to  erect  houses  for  his  stated  worship,  to 
open  then*  with  appropriate  exercises  of  religion.  It 
would  seem,  indeed,  to  be  a  dictate  of  nature,  and  to 
be  no  less  countenanced  by  the  word  of  God.  That  it 
is  a  practice  liable  to  abuse,  is  no  valid  objection  to  its 
proper  and  enlightened  use.  Intelligent  christians  can 
easily  distinguish  between  entering  on  the  occupancy 
of  a  place  of  worship  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  with  a 
suitable  acknowledgment  of  God;  and  cherishing  those 
superstitious  sentiments,  and  adopting  those  supersti- 
tious lorms,  in  relation  to  this  subject,  which  may  be 


y 


21 

attached  to  any  thing,  and  which  few  of  the  institutions 
of  religion,  however  precious,  have  entirely  escaped  in 
certain  periods  and  portions  of  the  church. 

3.  Againj  it  appears  to  me  to  follow,  from  what  has 
been  said,  that  after  a  house  erected  for  the  worship 
of  God,  has  been  solemnly  set  apart  for  that  purpose, 

rr  IS  NOT  DESIRABLE  OR  PROPER,  IN  ORDINARY  CASES, 
TO  EMPLOY  IT  FOR  ANY  OTHER  PURPOSE. 

Although  neither  intrinsic  holiness,  nor  relative  ho- 
liness can,  properly  speaking,  be  ascribed  to  the  build- 
ings or  places  in  which  God  is  worshipped,  but  only 
to  the  worshippers  themselves: — although  there  are  no 
buildings  or  places  known  to  me,  under  the  present 
dispensation,  into  which,  like  the  Holy  Place,  or  the 
Most  Holy  Place,  in  ancient  times,  it  is  lawful  for  none 
but  consecrated  persons  ever  to  enter: — yet  we  are 
by  no  means,  !  think,  to  infer  from  this,  that  there  are 
no  sentiments  of  reverence  and  solemnity  which 
ought  ALWAYS  to  be  connected  with  those  places  in 
which  holy  services  are  statedly  performed.  There  is, 
my  friends,  a  principle  deeply  implanted  in  qur  nature, 
which  we  commonly  denominate  the  principle  of  as- 
sociation. This  principle  will  always  lead  serious,  de- 
vout minds  to  connect  feelings  of  reverence  with  an 
edifice  in  which  the  people  of  God  statedly  meet  for 
pubhc  worship.  They  will  always  enter  with  mingled 
emotions  of  solemnity  and  pleasure,  within  those  Walls 
which  have  long  and  often  resounded  with  the  glad  tid- 
ings of  salvation: — they  will  contemplate  with  delight 
those  Seats  in  which  the  pious  have  often  found  com- 


28 

munion  with  their  God  and  Saviour;  and  they  will 
look  with  sentiments  of  sacred  veneration  toward  that 
Pulpit  from  which  they  have  statedly  heard  the  instruc- 
tions and  consolations  of  Divine  mercy.  Are  these  feel- 
ings superstitious?  Are  they  to  be  proscribed?  Far, 
very  far  from  it!  They  are  natural;  they  are  com- 
mendable; they  are  scriptural  feelings.  They  ought 
unquestionably  to  be  cherished.  Nay,  I  will  venture 
to  say,  that  the  person  who  can  enter  a  church  without 
experiencing  any  of  the  devout  and  reverential  emo- 
tions to  which  I  have  refeured,  has  not  in  exercise  the 
proper  feelings  of  a  man,  certainly  not  those  which 
become  a  christian  man. 

Now,  when  houses  devoted  to  the  worship  of  God 
are  frequently,  or  even  occasionally,  employed  for  other 
and  secular  purposes,  and  especially  for  purposes  con- 
nected with  noise,  disorder,  and  unhallowed  mirth, 
the  effect  cannot  fail  of  being  unhappy.  It  breaks  that 
devout,  reverential  association  of  which  I  have  just 
spoken.  It  connects  ludicrous  images  and  recollections 
with  the  Iwuse  of  God.  It  takes  away  from  the  affec- 
tionate respect  and  awe  with  which  it  is  always  de- 
sirable to  enter  the  sanctuary.  And  it  will  be  well  if, 
the  next  time  it  is  entered,  after  such  an  incongruous 
scene,  there  be  not  a  struggle  before  the  mind  can  re- 
sume its  wonted  tranquil  devotion.  Would  any  good 
man,  who  was  at  the  same  time  a  wise  and  prudent 
one,  be  willing  that  the  closet,  to  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed daily  to  retire  for  secret  devotion,  should  be  fre- 
quently employed  for  purposes  which,  so  far  as  he 


29 

thought  of  them,  were  calculated  to  disturb  or  banibh 
every  devout  feeling?  Surely  I  need  not  wait  for  an 
answer. 

Guard,  then,  against  every  thing  of  this  kind  as  far 
as  possible.  There  are  obstacles  enough  to  a  spirit  of 
elevated  devotion  in  the  house  of  God,  without  unne- 
cessarily adding  to  their  number.  Let  nothing  ever 
enter  these  walls,  if  you  can  possibly  exclude  it,  that 
tends  to  inspire  levity,  to  pollute  the  imagination,  or 
to  give  you  pain  in  recollecting  it,  when  you  afterwards 
come  to  worship  God.  Let  nothing  be  exhibited  here, 
which  will  render  it  difficult  for  you  or  your  children, 
when  you  tread  these  courts,  to  feel  as  if  you  were 
withdrawn  from  the  world.  Let  nothing,  in  a  word,  be 
transacted  here,  but  what  has  a  tendency  to  compose 
and  spiritualize  the  mind,  and  to  raise  it  from  earth  to 
heaven. 

4.  Finally,  my  friends,  from  what  has  been  said,  it 
appears,  that  the  object  of  your  most  earnest  and  ten- 
der entreaty,  this  day,  and  at  all  times,  ought  to  be, 
THAT  God  may  here  be  pleased  graciously   and 

LIBERALLY  TO  DISPENSE  HIS  SPIRITUAL    BLESSINGS. 

Methinks  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  to-day,  ad- 
dresses every  devout  worshipper  who  has  an  interest 
in  this  Edifice,  in  the  language  which  an  eastern  mo- 
narch addressed  to  his  beloved  companion,  as  recorded 
iti  the  sacred  history, — What  is  thy  petition,  and  what 
is  thy  request? — Happy  will  it  be  for  this  church  of 
Christ,  if  the  hearts  of  all  are  united  as  one  "man  in 
replying — JVoio^,  therefore^  ari^e,  0  Lord  God,  into  thy 


^30 

resting  place,  thou  and  tJie  ark  of  thy  strength!  While 
you  are  thankful  that  the  Lord  has  prospered  you  thus 
far,  imagine  not  that  your  work  is  done,  when  the 
House  which  you  have  raised  for  God,  is  opened  and 
dedicated  to  Him.  Your  work,  in  fact,  in  reference  to 
this  Sanctuary,  is  only  now  begun.  Let  it  be  your 
care,  not  only  once,  but  constantly  and  perseveringly, 
to  implore  that  spiritual  presence  of  the  King  of  Zion, 
which  is  the  richest  of  all  blessings  that  can  be  con- 
ferred on  a  Church,  and  which  alone  can  render  this 
edifice,  and  the  occupancy  of  it  by  you  and  your  chil- 
dren the  means  of  real  and  lasting  benefit. 

Do  you  ask,  hoiv  you  are  so  to  conduct  yourselves  as 
to  invite,  from  time  to  time,  this  invaluable  blessing? 
I  answer — Besides  continually  asking  for  it,  in  humble, 
unceasing,  persevering  prayer; — let  a  diligent  discharge 
of  duty  constantly  testify  that  you  really  desire  to  ob- 
tain it.  See  that  every  thing  be  done  for  the  welfare  of 
the  church  which  fidelity  to  our  common  Master  re- 
quires. Study,  at  all  times,  to  cooperate  with  your  be- 
loved Pastor  in   promoting  your  own  best  interests. 
While  he  preaches  the  Gospel  with  faithfulness  and . 
zeal,  and  dispenses  the  sacramental  seals  committed 
to  him,  with  an  enlightened  fidelity;  be  it  your  care, 
my  friends,  to  attend  upon  all  his  ministrations  with 
punctuality,  with  meekness,  and  with  love;  to  support 
him  continually  by   your   prayers;  to  encourage  the 
hearts,  and  strengthen  the  hands  of  him  and  your  other 
ecclesiastical  Rulers,  in  the  maintenance  of  discipline; 
to  stimulate  one  another  to  every  good  word  and  work; 


31 

and,  in  one  word,  to  endeavour,  by  all  the  means  which 
the  Head  of  the  Church  has  appointed,  to  draw  down 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  your  solemn  assembhes,  and 
upon  all  the  individuals  who  compose  them. 

If  ever  the  time  should  come  in  which  the  simple  and 
pure  doctrines  of  the  gospel  shall  be  either  corrupted 
or  kept  back,  by  those  who  minister  here  in  holy  things: 
— if  the  divine  glories,  the  vicarious  atonement,  or  the 
justifying  merits  of  the  "  Lord  that  bought  us,"  shall 
ever  be  denied  by  those  who  occupy  this  pulpit: — if 
the  Sacraments  of  Christ's  house  shall  ever  be  habitu- 
ally neglected  or  profaned  within  these  walls: — or  if 
the  body  of  worshippers  shall  ever  become  cold,  pray- 
erless,  and  secular  in  their  character: — whatever  out- 
ward glory  may  continue  to  surround  this  House,  I 
proclaim  to  you  this  day,  that  the  Lord  will  depart 
from  it,  and  that  the,  Ark  of  his  strength  will  no  more 
display  its  power  here. 

God  grant,  my  friends,  that  the  blessed  reverse  of  all 
this  may  be  your  happy  lot,  to  the  latest  generations! 
Peace  be  within  these  ivalls,  and  prosperity  within  these 
palaces!  May  you,  and  your  children,  and  your  chil- 
dren's children,  long  come  to  this  house  of  God,  and 
never  come  to  it  without  a  blessing!  As  the  external 
glory  of  this  latter  house  is  greater  thdiU  the  glory  of  the 
former  occupied  by  you,  may  the  latter,  in  spiritual 
GLORY  still  more  eminently  excel  the  former!  May  the 
eye  of  Jehovah  be  ever  open  upon  it,  and  his  ear  be 
ever  attent  unto  the  prayer  that  may  here  be  offer- 
ed up!  May  the  word  and  ordinances  here  dispensed, 


32 

from  sabbath  to  sabbath,  be  attended  with  power  from 
on  high!  May  this  devoted  edifice,  as  long  as  it  shall 
stand,  be  a  means  of  Christian  sanctification,  a  seat  of 
Christian  enjoyment,  and  a  center  of  Christian  action! 
May  revival  after  revival  fill  it  with  devout  and  holy 
worshippers!  And  when  they  shall  successively  take 
leave  of  it,  may  it  be  to  enter  a  House  of  infinitely 
greater  glory;  a  House  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavens! — Amen,  and  Amen' 


's^*-^^*^,<>i^ 


